Less than 5 percent growth in agriculture not sufficient: Gandhi

Kolkata, Sep 24 (IANS) Less than five percent growth in the agriculture sector is not sufficient for an economy which is growing at eight percent, West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi said Wednesday.”We are not just facing a challenge of production and productivity. We are also facing challenges of expectation. In an economy which is growing at eight percent, a less than five percent growth in the agriculture sector cannot suffice,” he said at a ‘Second Green Revolution Summit and Expo’ here.

He said India has seen a growth of 4.1 percent in agriculture by adopting crop-specific strategies and creating non-farm employment for farm households.

“The objective has to be to strengthen the food security and improve farmers’ income and livelihood. The mission of the 11th plan has been to have broad base and inclusive growth for poverty reduction,” Gandhi added.